Pasadena personal chef service, Om Chef posts food news, research, recipes, resources and experts on how, why and what to eat for ultimate taste, optimum health and environmental sustainability
The feature film Forks Over Knives -- http://www.ForksOverKnives.com -- examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
Highlights of a Plant Based Diet
Three food groups you need to avoid:
1. Meat, and not just red meat, this includes all animals and animal products
1. Nikki Cascone, new mom, Top Chef veteran and owner of Octavia’s Porch in New York City
Cascone prepares good-for-you foods ahead of time, so she can nosh healthfully on the go. Among her slimming staples: I keep washed and sliced veggies that can quickly be transformed into salads along with protein-rich picks like hard boiled eggs, shrimp and smoked salmon and healthy, fiber-rich carbs like lentils, chickpeas, and cooked whole wheat pasta. These items keep me energized and satisfied so I don’t feel the need to nosh on unhealthy foods," she says. The result: Cascone successfully shed her 42 pounds of post-baby weight in just a few months.
2. Recent research reveals capcasin, the compound that gives hot peppers their spicy zing, may also boost metabolism 3.Sleeping an extra hour a night could help a person drop 14 pounds in a year, according to a University of Michigan researcher
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.
New York Times Dec 15, 2010 The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast A recent study by scientists in Australia found that after only three days, an extremely high-fat, high-calorie diet can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin resistance, potentially increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Waistlines also can expand at this time of year, prompting self-recrimination and unrealistic New Year’s resolutions.
But a new study published in The Journal of Physiology suggests a more reliable and far simpler response. Run or bicycle before breakfast. Exercising in the morning, before eating, the study results show, seems to significantly lessen the ill effects of holiday Bacchanalias......
exercising in a fasted state (usually possible only before breakfast), coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel during vigorous exercise, instead of relying primarily on carbohydrates. When you burn fat, you obviously don’t store it in your muscles........read the complete article at The New York Times
Researchers at Harvard University say America’s obesity epidemic won’t plateau until at least 42 percent of adults are obese, an estimate derived by applying mathematical modeling to 40 years ofFramingham Heart Study data.
Their work, published this week in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, runs counter to recent assertions by some experts that the obesity rate, which has been at 34 percent for the past five years, may have peaked. An additional 34 percent of American adults are overweight but not obese, according to the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Harvard scientists say that their modeling shows that the proliferation of obesity among American adults in recent decades owes in large part to its accelerating spread via social networks.....read more at the Harvard Gazette
Om Chef downtown L.A. enlightened omnivore clients will find all ingredients for these salads cleaned and chopped in labeled glass containers conveniently located in their refrigerator...making this dish qualify as 'fast food' the enlightened omnivore way
Begin with chicken stock preferably fresh homemade, or if you are short on time use Swansons low sodium chicken broth. Heat chicken stock with minced fresh garlic, ginger and fresh chili pepper to taste.While stock is heating up prep your veggies. Shown is a simple mix of thinly sliced crimini and shiitake mushroom, carrot, fresh lotus root, fingerling potatoes, green onion and cilantro, and a couple of smallish lobster tails. Add spuds first, cook 5-6 minutes, add carrot, cook additional 2 minutes, add mushrooms, cook 2 minutes, add remaining ingredients cover and remove from heat. Finish soup with a splash of nam pla (fish sauce), and/or a little fresh lime juice.
Lobster was on hand for this dish, but most any seafood, chicken and/or tofu would work just as well.
Soup allows for tremendous creativity, simply varying a few key seasoning ingredients can change it completely. Replacing the cilantro, ginger, nam pla and lime juice with fennel, a little white wine, a pinch of saffron, fresh thyme, a swirl of EVOO and a strip of orange peel turns it into a heavenly Mediterranean soup needing nothing more than a baguette and someone to enjoy it with.....the fresh lotus root works beautifully in the Mediterranean version
Asian soups are an Om Chef favorite, I love the myriad of dried ingredients available, including dried lily buds, shrimp, oysters, scallops, wood ear, black fungus, jujube, seaweeds, jellyfish, and multiple kinds of fungi to name a few.
Om Chef downtown L.A. enlightened omnivore clients will find all ingredients for this dish cleaned and chopped in labeled glass containers conveniently located in their refrigerator...making this dish qualify as 'fast food' the enlightened omnivore way
This Mediterranean Salad is a classic horiatiki/Greek salad gone wild.....Greek feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, red or gold bell peppers, Italian parsley, red onion, and Kalamata* olives from your favorite small producer are supplemented with carrots, purple cabbage, asparagus, mushrooms, avocado, romaine. and fresh flat leaf parsley, basil, and oregano ...most any vegetable can be added, this is what was on hand for this particular Mediterranean Salad.
Red onions and mushrooms may be marinated for an hour to mellow the onion.
To 3TB of Red Wine vinegar add 1tsp of honey, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 2 TB chopped fresh oregano, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 2 TB olive oil....add 3-4 sliced crimini mushrooms, and 1/4 thinly sliced red onion....allow to rest for one hour.
The marinade will be used as the dressing, and added to the final salad
Slice or chop tomatoes, cucumber, and vegetables available, toss with marinaded onions and mushrooms,
crumble in 2 oz of feta cheese, toss, and drizzle with marinade.
Serve with warm brown rice, pita bread or your favorite baguette
Salads are the time to be creative, go a little wild with your ingredient selection! No two salads should ever be exactly the same....
Just be sure to taste as you go along
serve with brown rice. shown: curry roasted cauliflower and ginger carrots
And the perfect use of all those yummy farmers market veggies broiled and roasted a few days ago..brushed with a little Balsamic vinegar and olive oil, placed under the broiler with a slice of provolone and served on a grilled La Boulangerie baguette
La Boulangerie's excellent breads are available at the Friday farmers market at the Bank of America Plaza in downtown Los Angeles
Cauliflower coated with curry and a splash of olive oil before roasting
The only thing better than this is the leftovers! Delicious salads and sandwiches are a promise when last nights roasted veggies are added to farmers market fresh mixed greens, or snuggled between slices of your favorite artisanal bread, such as or La Brea . Roasted veggies are one of those dishes that is even better the next day! Boulangerie
A simple dry rub of fresh herbs... thyme, sage and rosemary, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and a splash of olive oil to hold it together, applied to roast 6 hours before roasting. Roast is removed from refrigeration 90 minutes before roasting, spuds, carrots and onions accompany the roast in a well preheated 450 oven for 15 minutes, temp is reduced to 350 for remaining cooking time of 30 minutes-ish...use your trusty meat thermometer for best results.
For more on roast beast technique click here
Pink lentils, shown above, cook in only 10 minutes, and are beautiful summer salad when gently tossed with nastursiams, marigolds and rose petals, and lightly dressed with a drizzle of hazelnut or almond oil and lemon juice
Lentils are an excellent source of protein, ultra easy to cook,
and are delicious warmed up and dressed with fresh herbs or curry,
or as a simple but perfect compliment to cooked whole grains such as brown rice...
..for the more carnivorous appetite serve lentils with grilled salmon or a broiled lamb kabob
Lentils come in a variety of colors and sizes,
they have an affinity for rice partly
due to the similar cooking times.
Shown here is a green unpeeled lentil available at
your local market with a cooking time of 30 minutes.
Herbs and spices to play up your lentils include, but are not limited to:
bay leaf, black pepper, black or green cardamom, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry pwder, fresh ginger, mint, parsley, oregano, thyme, and turmeric
Turtle beans, aka black beans are ultra easy, cooking in just 2-3 hours they are the perfect bean for Mexican inspired meals. Cook with one or two carrots, a little chopped onion and during the last hour of cooking add generous dash of cumin and sea salt. Serve hot with fresh salsa and a cooked whole grain (shown with brown Basmati rice ), and/or fresh hot corn tortillas with shredded cheese........black beans pair well with beef, pork or chicken
Herbs and spices for black beans: assorted frsh/dried or ground chile peppers, bay leaf, cilantro, coriander, cumin, epazote, garlic, ginger, oregano, parsley, savory, thyme
The mighty mung bean may not be pretty, but it's amazingly yummy and gentle to even the most
sensitive tummys.
Shown here are split mung beans cooked with curry.
Also available whole, these require a longer cooking time,
and the whole mung (or moong) bean
can also be sprouted for your next stir fry calling for bean sprouts.
Mung beans luv ginger, cumin, cilantro, and whole or ground coriander
btw: Mung beans are really a pea
Dried black eyed peas cook in 90 minutes with nothing more than a little sea salt.
Black eyed peas luv the following herbs and spices: bay leaf, cayenne, chile peppers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, and turmeric.
Cooked black eyed peas are delicious straight from the fridge topped with avocado and roasted tomato, as shown, or warm up the peas and serve with any whole grain. For the more carnivorous appetite, serve the peas as a side to meat, black eyed peas pair especially well with pork.
Why cook your own beans? Variety, flavor, choice of organic, much less sodium, and for some the number one reason, the dreaded 'gas'...home cooked beans are not nearly as gassy as store bought canned.
Cooked beans, peas and lentils can be stored 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Storage containers shown are heavy glass by Pyrex. Glass containers are superior to the various plastic containers available as you have no worries about chemicals from the plastic leaching into the food. Pyrex glass containers are also very convenient, going from refrigerator to the oven or microwave with equal ease.
Dice sashimi grade Ahi, chop red or green onion, avocado, cilantro and tomatoes,
mince ginger, and garlic, combine in glass bowl and drizzle with soy or ponzu flavored soy sauce, and fresh lime juice.
....allow to marinate for 15 minutes before serving
Fresh pasta sauce: gently saute 3 or 4 chopped tomatoes,
2 or 3 cloves of garlic in a TB of olive oil for 10 minutes
while pasta is cooking.
Finish sauce with a dash of red pepper flakes,
1 Tb of butter, sea salt
and a 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil.
Can you have pasta if you are trying to lose weight? Yes!
In Italy pasta is seldom a main dish, it is intended as a side dish, and this explains why Italians do not have the weight issues the US has.
A well made salad does not need the bottled, high in fat, calories, sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and preservative loaded dressings from Kraft...this is a sample of ingredients for a fab salad, the only limit is your imagination. A thoughtful blend of crisp and soft, crunchy and creamy, dry and juicy, sweet and savory, bitter and sour, and gently held together with a splash of olive oil and a double splash of complimentary vinegar, makes store bought salad dressings completely unnecessary.
Using a colorful mix of raw, cooked, semi-cooked, and pickled veggies, fruits, cooked and/or sprouted grains, beans and/or peas, nuts, and cheese provides a an exciting, never boring way to eat fresh and healthy.
All of the above mentioned ingredients can be cleaned, chopped, sprouted, pickled and/or cooked two or three days ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator. Ingredients may be used for a quick salad, heated and served with cooked whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, wheat berry, or barley, or add some of these fab, and prepared ahead ingredients to a simmering broth for an instant and delectable soup.
Composing a beautiful meal of the tastes your body is craving is ultra easy and delicious with a little advance preparation. This is one of the secrets of optimum health, having delicious and good for you options ready to go when hunger strikes.
Veggies from downtown Los Angeles 7th and Figueroa Farmers Market, every Thursday from 10-3
What could be simpler than a pork loin marinated overnight in Merlot spiked with rosemary and garlic, and roasted or grilled the next evening with a salad of Romaine, tomatoes, avocado, carrot, and a bit of blue cheese tossed together while it's cooking?
A fab dinner, and lunch the next day, for delicious and healthy weight loss.
Tasting is an absolute in cooking, and this combo demands it...Merlot does not always pair well with Bleu cheese, it really depends on the Merlot and the cheese...taste it!
Believe nothing, no matterwhere you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own (taste)reason and your own common sense. -Buddha
Pork loin from downtown Los Angeles Ralph's at 645 West 9th St.
Split pea soup is a natural for curry spice blend. Peas and all legumes are low in fat, cholesterol free, high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium and an excellent source of protein and fiber.
The turmeric in the curry has medicinal qualities, most recently shown to fight Alzheimer's disease.
Start with 2 TB curry powder gently cooked in a little clarified butter (ghee) or olive oil, add the onions and cook on low until onions are translucent, about 10minutes, garlic may be added at this point, but don't let it brown or the soup will be bitter. You may wish to spice up your curry spice powder with a little extra ground fennel seed, cumin, ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon. Curry powder is a blend of spices and can be, and is really best made fresh by the cook....but the store bought is wonderfully convenient, and is easily embellished. Add 6 cups vegetable broth or water, and peas to the sauteed onions and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Half way through the cooking add chopped celery and half of the shredded carrots. More curry powder may be added to taste while the peas are simmering. The remaining shredded carrots are added during the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking. Chopped flat leaf parsely is added after the soup has been removed from the heat, this will help keep its bright green color. Finely chopped kale can be used in place of the parley, but should be added 7-10 minutes before end of cooking.
Pictured here is a yellow spit pea, their color works better with the color of the yellow (turmeric) curry. Split peas love carrots, 6 have been shredded and will be added throughout the cooking process for a variety of textures. The finished soup is topped with fresh yogurt and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Curry powder is available in the spice section of the supermarket, avoid the Spice Islands Brand, try a few, and for the real curry powder lovers shop online, locals head over to Artesia's little India and stock up on an amazing variety of incredible garam masalas.
Technically any 'fajita' dish not containing beef, specifically skirt steak, would more appropriately be called a stir fry. Fajita means skirt steak, but has come to mean any meat or seafood quickly sauteed, or grilled, and rolled in a tortilla.
Ultra easy and very healthy, fajitas are authentic Mexican fare. No deep frying and no mountain of melted cheese, just fresh, assorted peppers, onions, and marinated seafood, meat or tofu quickly sauteed, or grilled at high heat in an iron skillet with a splash of olive oil.
Served with warm corn tortillas, black beans, avocado, and fresh salsa...what could be easier?
Above is shrimp and scallop fajita/stir fry with red and green peppers, passilla chili, Anaheim chili, Spanish onion, and fresh cilantro. Marinade for seafood is a simple blend of 2 limes, shown above with juice of 3 key limes and 2 tangerines, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 minced jalapeno, 1/2 minced serrano, 1/4 cp chopped cilantro, 1 TB fresh mexican oregano, pinch of sea salt. Seafood only needs 10 minutes in marinade before cooking. Beef fajita marinades are best with skirt steak and a 12-24 hour marinade.
An excellent dish, and cooking technique for good health and perfect weight
Grilled Japanese eggplant on a bed of gingered black lentils. Dressed with thyme, lemon juice, walnut oil and chopped walnuts 
Technically any 'fajita' dish not containing beef, specifically skirt steak, would more appropriately be called a stir fry. Fajita means skirt steak, but has come to mean any meat or seafood quickly sauteed, or grilled, and rolled in a tortilla. 